Christmas in Point Cook

Gangnam Style has crept into wedding, community festival, halloween and now Christmas. Santander Crescent in Point Cook is vying for the title of Victoria’s most festive location, with about 30 homes decked to the nines in a sparkling show of Christmas spirit. And one homeowner Darren Lindell decided to synchronize his house’s light display to K-Pop sensation Psy’s world-wide hit.

Gangnam Style at 12 Santander Crescent on Friday 7 Dec 2012

About 5 years ago,three neighbours got together for a beer and decided to put a few lights up for their kids. One neighbour said, “It’s all about the Christmas spirit … we do it for the children of Point Cook, to see their faces light up…..People joke our street is like Ramsay Street because we’re all in and out of each other’s houses.” Homeowners on the street help each other to put up the lights. Even those who do not celebrate Christmas have joined in. The event is getting bigger and bigger, like a snowball effect.

I visited the street last Friday 7 Dec 2012. Signs were placed at the entry points to Santander Crescent to inform visitors and passerby of the holding of a public event. The surrounding streets were packed with cars parked on nature strips. The Point Cook Christmas Lights Facebook Page is advising visitors to park their cars on Gilbratar, Hemsley and Lennon Street.

I was taken aback by the huge number of visitors. The organizer’s Facebook Page said that 1200 people turned up on 5 Dec 2012 but I do not know how it arrived at this estimate. Nevertheless, the huge crowd had warranted the presence of a Paramedics van on standby, which happened to be opposite the location where we parked our car.

A better video of the Gangnam Style light show, which plays every 15 minutes until 10.30 p.m. daily

By the time we reached the Gangnam Style house, a massive crowd had already gathered in anticipation of the light show. I later learnt from the Facebook Page that the speaker had blown, which explained why the music sounded much weaker than it was supposed to be. After the light show, we walked along the length of the street. I was most impressed with the display directly opposite the Gangnam Style house, which has animations projected onto a screen (see video below), a mailbox to post letters to Santa and lights even on the nature strips and roadside trees. Further down the street, a house shows a holographic Santa from behind its windows, like the one we saw in Markham Way, Altona Meadows.

There is a website where you can search for the address of listed properties with Christmas lightings by postcode and suburb name, all over Australia. Some people have suggested on the Point Cook Christmas Lights Facebook Page the following places to see Christmas lights:

Wilmott Drive, Hoppers Crossing

17 Creswick Drive, Point Cook

There is a house that I found from the internet with spectacular Christmas lights. It is located at 47 Gordon Grove, Preston and has a website. I am not planning to visit it as it is too far away from Altona. But others, particularly those living in that area, may be interested so I am also embedding a video here.